Goose of the Dolphins
by Red Witch
Summary: How Shane Gooseman first met his dolphin friends Icarus and Winter.


**Some dolphins swam off with the disclaimer telling you that I don't own any Galaxy Ranger characters. This is just another idea I had on the early years of everyone's favorite Supertrooper. This is my take on how Shane first encountered his dolphin friends. **

**Goose of the Dolphins**

Sixteen year old Shane Gooseman stood on the balcony of the tall building that was Longshot Labs, overlooking the Arizona skyline enjoying the view and a rare moment of piece. It had been over a year since that terrible day at Wolf Den that had changed his life forever. A year since the Supertrooper program had gone down in flames.

And at that moment he was happier than he had been in a long time. Of course that wasn't saying much considering every day he didn't know would be his last. That today would be the day where he would be finally shipped off and locked away in the Cryocrypt forever like his other Supertrooper brothers and sisters.

Shane had learned to live for the moment.

For months after the incident at Wolf Den he had been shipped around from base to base, following Commander Walsh wherever he was stationed. Between Walsh's last dealings concerning the Supertrooper Project and his new team he was creating to take it's place it had been a hectic and often frustrating experience for him, trying to find some kind of purpose in his life.

At first when Walsh had told him that he would be staying at Longshot Labs for about a year or two while Walsh was working, Shane was terrified. Labs and genetically enhanced mutant soldiers were not always a pleasant combination.

But not long after he arrived Shane realized that Longshot Labs was very different than Wolf Den. At least here most of the people didn't treat him like some kind of science experiment gone wrong. And Dr. Kruger and Dr. Lasseter the new co-heads of Longshot were very kind and understanding to Shane and his situation. Especially after the news of the Supertrooper program failure was leaked to the world.

And true to form, public outcry against the program and Supertroopers in general was not far behind. Both Shane and Commander Walsh had some very close escapes from both politicians and angry mobs before it was settled where Shane would stay for the next few years. For his own safety Shane had to stay at Longshot. Hidden away from the world and out of sight of the irate Board of World Leaders.

But to Shane's surprise life at Longshot Labs was rather pleasant. Other than an occasional check up no one performed any kind of experimentation on him. Well no genetic experimentation anyway.

Many of the scientists there thought this was a wonderful opportunity for educating a young man with a genetically enhanced body and decided to see if it applied to his mind as well. Much to Shane's chagrin they saw him more as a lab rat with brains rather than a lab rat with brawn.

Dr. Lasseter insisted on teaching the boy other applications other than shooting and fighting. They quickly discovered that Shane had a knack for mechanics and soon found himself able to take apart and put together any engine blindfolded. Although he wasn't a computer genius he found he could find his way around a computer pretty well. Even though he had some basic flying lessons back at Wolf Den, here at Longshot he had perfected his flying skills on nearly every ship they had. There was a stable at Longshot and he had learned to ride horseback and found it enjoyable. Although he wasn't exactly sure how **that** would help him in the future, he still loved riding. He also discovered that he actually had some musical aptitude and could play an electric guitar rather well.

Actually that last one he learned from a rather jovial janitor who was a fanatic about rock and roll and managed to convert Shane into a believer as well. He had also told Shane that one of the secrets of charming women was being able to dance. And with a few secret lessons, Shane realized he had a knack for it.

As much as he hated to admit it, life at Longshot was interesting and the past six months were a learning experience. He found himself a bit more self confident and more sure of his skills and abilities. He had grown his hair a little longer. Even his stubborn curl in the front had grown out. Thanks to daily workouts in the gym, his muscles had gotten bigger, seeming more like a young man in his early twenties than a sixteen year old boy.

But there was still something missing from Shane's life. The loss of his friends from Wolf Den still haunted him. He was intrigued by Walsh's new position and was told there might be a place for him in this new team of 'Galaxy Rangers' he was putting together. Also the recent events of two aliens from unknown worlds contacting Earth for relations involving new advances in interstellar travel piqued his curiosity. He always wanted to see other planets and to travel to the stars.

Maybe Walsh would finally convince the Board of World Leaders to one day allow him to attend the newly formed Ranger Academy and become a ranger himself one day? It would certainly give his life some purpose again other than surviving.

"Oh Goose! Good I found you!" Dr. Lasseter walked up to him with a cheerful expression on his face. He had wild gray hair and large thick spectacles and a pleasant demeanor.

"Doctor Lasseter? What's up?" Shane asked.

"I want you to come down to the aquatic labs, we've made an amazing breakthrough in aquatic mammal communications!" He beamed. "I think you might enjoy it."

"This isn't going to be like that flying hamster experiment is it?" Shane groaned.

"No, no there will be nothing like that this time," Dr. Lasseter chuckled. "Come on. I want to show you something."

"All right, I could use a good laugh," Shane shrugged.

He made his way to the oceanography sector of Longshot and had put on a diving suit. Dr. Lasseter was with an oceanographer and two technicians fixing small devices on two nearly full grown dolphin calves. "Using these devices we will be able to communicate more effectively with dolphins," Dr. Lasseter explained.

"Where did you get them?" Shane asked curiously.

"They were the only survivors of a pod that was destroyed due to an ecological disaster," Dr. Lasseter sighed. "It's shocking that in this day and age we still have oil tankers that spill. Of course the problem is not as rampant as it was in the old days but still…"

"Do those things hurt them?" Shane indicated on the devices on the dolphins.

"No more than comfortable clothes would hurt a human," Dr. Lasseter assured him. "Or a Supertrooper."

"The male we're calling Icarus and the female is called Winter," The oceanographer told them. "All right this should be working now. Okay if this works all they have to do is concentrate and we can understand what they are saying."

Suddenly Shane's heightened senses picked up something among the clicks and whistles. It was more than a high pitch, it was a strange ping of emotion that clicked inside him. "Do you feel that?" Shane asked.

"Feel what?" Dr. Lasseter asked.

"Never mind," Shane waved it off. A lot of times normal humans couldn't sense the things he could. "So what they're just supposed to start talking?"

"That's right! Imagine what they would say! What secrets we can uncover about the universe! Go on little friends! Tell us what's on your mind!" The Oceanographer spoke.

"FISH!" Both dolphins chirped.

"We want fish!" Winter clicked.

"Fish please!" Icarus chirped.

"And another mystery of the universe is solved," Shane snickered.

"Fish! Fish!" Both dolphins swam to the side of the tank where Shane was standing. "Fish!"

"I think they want me to give them some fish," Shane smirked. He took the slippery treats from a nearby bucket and fed them. "Come on guys! Have some fish."

"Fish good! Fish is very good! Thank you!" The dolphins chirped with glee as they ate the fish.

"Well it's a start," Dr. Lasseter blinked.

"What's your name?" Icarus asked Shane.

"Goose," Shane said. "Call me Goose."

"Goose! Goose! Goose play with us! Play!" Both dolphins clicked happily. "Play!"

"Well," Shane smirked. "If you insist." Before anyone could stop him he simply dove into the water.

"Oh great!" One technician was splashed. "Now my monitoring equipment is all wet."

"You should make it waterproof," Shane suggested as he splashed with the dolphins.

"At least we know the devices work," Dr. Lasseter nodded. "Come on, we need to check on the equipment in the other end of the lab. Goose why don't you keep the dolphins company for a while?"

"Okay Doc," Shane shrugged. He was hit on the head by a floating beach ball Winter threw at him with her nose. "Hey!"

As the others walked away, the oceanographer whispered to Dr. Lasseter, "But we just put the equipment on. Why do we need to…"

"Just leave them be for a little while," Dr. Lasseter ordered.

"I guess a few hours alone might be a good time for them to get used to wearing the equipment," The oceanographer nodded.

"More importantly this might be good for the boy," Dr. Lasseter said softly.

Shane hated to admit it but he was enjoying himself swimming with the dolphins. He envied their grace and freedom in the water. "Look at you guys," Shane chuckled. "Don't have a care in the world."

"Goose cares about something," Icarus stopped splashing and looked at him.

"Sad…" Winter chirped. "Goose is sad. Why is Goose sad?"

Shane was surprised at how perceptive the dolphins were. "How did you know?"

"Can feel it," Icarus told him. "You are different than other humans."

"Is it **that **obvious?" Shane groaned.

"Is being different than other humans bad?" Winter asked.

"In my case it is," Shane admitted. "Sometimes."

"Why?" Icarus asked.

"It's just…" Shane hesitated. "There's no one else here like me. It gets a little lonely sometimes."

"No others in your pod like you?" Winter asked.

"I used to belong to a pod…a group of people like me," Shane explained. "But then something bad happened. An accident."

"Accident," Winter whistled sadly. "Like black poison that killed our pod?"

"A lot like it actually," Shane sighed. "Many…got sick. Very sick."

"You are the only one who did not get sick?" Icarus asked.

"That's about it," Shane sighed as he lay on his back, floating in the water. "I don't quite fit in with other humans. And I don't fit in with my own kind any longer. Those that are left are kind of…well you know…"

"Crazy?" Winter asked.

"Got it in one," Shane sighed.

"Dolphins sometimes go crazy too," Icarus nodded. "Get sick or eat something bad or just become mean."

"Goose sad because he has no one," Winter nuzzled him.

"It's okay. I get by. Listen to me," Shane smirked to himself. "I'm spilling my guts out to a couple of guys with fish breath and flippers."

"Listen! Goose can be part of our pod!" Winter called out.

"What?" Shane asked.

"Goose has no pod, they got sick," Icarus chirped. "We have no pod, they got sick. We can be a pod together."

"I don't think it works like that," Shane remarked.

"Why not?" Winter asked.

Shane was stunned. He couldn't believe how much these gentle creatures trusted him. "But why would you want me to be in your pod?"

"Goose is good! Goose is lonely!" Winter explained.

"We can be a pod together!" Icarus chirped. "Why not?"

"You really think I'm good?" The words were out of Shane's mouth before he even realized it.

"We know you are good," Winter said. "We can feel it."

Shane couldn't believe what was happening. Hearing those words did something to him. Something he never expected to happen to him.

It was a feeling he had never felt before. Complete acceptance.

They didn't care what he was or where he came from or even what he was made of. They just wanted to be with him for him.

It did not matter if he was the best or the worst or how strong or weak he was.

No competition or struggle to survive among them. No hate or discomfort.

Shane never experienced that before.

Finally some part of him had finally found what he was looking for.

Even if it was just two dolphins.

Two dolphins who wanted to be his friends.

Maybe because they weren't human either they understood him, even if only a little.

They accepted him because they liked him for what he was.

An orphan like them.

"Why not? You know something guys?" Shane grinned. "I think I'm going to be spending a **lot **of time here from now on."


End file.
